Systems and method of controlling access to media content

• US 8,402,484 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belz, Steven, Sullivan, Marc A., Pratt, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUNG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US11/940,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 725 25- 31, 348/734, 726/4, 726/29, 340/4.34, 340/12.27, 340/5.74, 340/4.42, 340/12.51, 340/13.24
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method of controlling access to media content are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a viewing request at a set-top box device at a user premises. The method also includes retrieving a permission policy stored at the set-top box device and identifying a wireless device associated with the permission policy. Further, the method includes fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a first relative proximity to the set-top box device, and not fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a second relative proximity to the set-top box device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to media content, the method comprising:

receiving at a set-top box device located at a premises a viewing request to present media content at a display device connected to the set-top box;

retrieving from a permission policy stored at the set-top box device rules for fulfilling the viewing request;

transmitting a polling signal to a first mobile communication device of a plurality of mobile communication devices;

measuring an elapsed time until receiving a response to the polling signal from the first mobile communication device to determine and distinguish a relative proximity to the set-top box for each of the plurality of mobile communication devices, wherein the relative proximity corresponds to being inside the premises but outside a room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is in a range of a wireless local area network of the set-top box but beyond a range of a class 2 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, being inside the room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is within a line of sight of the set-top box device, being in contact with the set-top box if the first mobile communication device is physically contacting the set-top box and is within a range of a class 3 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, and being outside the premises;

determining and distinguishing a device type for each of the plurality of mobile communication devices; and

fulfilling the viewing request according to the rules retrieved from the permission policy and the determined and distinguished device type and relative proximity to the set-top box for each of the plurality of mobile communication devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising fulfilling the viewing request when the viewing request does not exceed a base permission level of the permission policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing request includes a power-on request, a request to remove the set-top box device from a standby state, a request to access a particular channel or a particular plurality of channels, a channel change request, a request to view a portion of an electronic programming guide, or any combination thereof.

4. A set-top box device, comprising a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the memory comprises computer instructions, which when executed by the processor, configure the processor to:

receive a viewing request from a remote control device to present media content at a display device connected to the set-top box at a premises;

retrieve a permission policy identifying rules for fulfilling the viewing request;

transmitting a polling signal to the first mobile communication device of the plurality of mobile communication devices;

measuring an elapsed time until receiving a response to the polling signal from the first mobile communication device to determine and distinguish a relative proximity to the set top box for each of a plurality of mobile communication devices, wherein the relative proximity corresponds to being inside the premises but outside a room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is in a range of a wireless local area network of the set-top box but beyond a range of a class 2 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, being inside the room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is within a line of sight of the set-top box device, being in contact with the set-top box if the first mobile communication device is physically contacting the set-top box and is within a range of a class 3 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, and being outside the premises;

determine and distinguish a device type for each of the plurality of mobile communication devices; and

fulfill the viewing request according to the determined and distinguished device type and relative proximity to the set-top box for each of the plurality of mobile communication devices and the rules retrieved from the permission policy.

5. The set-top box device of claim 4, wherein the processor is operable to:

send an initial signal to device first mobile communication device of the plurality of mobile communication devices in response to the viewing request;

measure an elapsed time between sending the initial signal and receiving a response to the initial signal from the first mobile communication device; and

determine and distinguish the first relative proximity of the first mobile communication device according to the measured elapsed time.

6. The set-top box device of claim 4, wherein the processor is operable to receive a wireless fidelity signal, a wireless local area network signal, a radio frequency identification signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a combination thereof, from one mobile communication device.

7. The set-top box device of claim 4, further comprising an expansion card slot adapted to receive an expansion card that includes the memory.

8. The set-top box device of claim 4, wherein the processor is operable to:

receive a request to change at least one setting associated with the permission policy; and

change the at least one setting responsive to the request to change if at least one of the plurality of mobile communication devices is within a contact area associated with the set-top box device.

9. A mobile communication device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory comprises computer instructions, which when executed by the processor, configure the processor to:

send a response signal to a set-top box device at a premises in response to receiving a polling signal from the set-top box, wherein the set-top box device is configured to determine and distinguish a relative proximity of the mobile communication device to the set-top box device based at least partly on the receipt of the response signal; and

send a viewing request to the set-top box, wherein the set-top box device is configured to determine a type of the mobile communication device, wherein the relative proximity that is determined and distinguished corresponds to being inside the premises but outside a room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is in a range of a wireless local area network of the set-top box but beyond a range of a class 2 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, being inside the room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is within a line of sight of the set-top box device, being in contact with the set-top box if the first mobile communication device is physically contacting the set-top box and is within a range of a class 3 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, and being outside the premises, and wherein the set-top box is configured to fulfill the viewing request according to a permission policy for fulfilling viewing requests, the determined type of the mobile communication device, and the determined and distinguished relative proximity to the set top box of the mobile communication device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the signal includes a wireless fidelity signal, a wireless local area network signal, a radio frequency identification signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, a wireless access protocol signal, or a combination thereof.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 9 comprising one of a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, a smart phone, a mobile computing device, or any combination thereof.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the processor is operable to send a return signal after a content control function is activated at the mobile communication device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including processor-readable instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receiving a permission policy for fulfilling a viewing request;

transmitting a polling signal to the first mobile communication device of the plurality of mobile communication devices;

measuring an elapsed time until receiving a response to the polling signal from the first mobile communication device to determine and distinguish a first relative proximity for a first mobile communication device and a second relative proximity for a second mobile communication device with respect to a set-top box, wherein the first and second relative proximities each correspond to being inside the premises but outside a room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is in a range of a wireless local area network of the set-top box but beyond a range of a class 2 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, being inside the room where the set-top box is located if the first mobile communication device is within a line of sight of the set-top box device, being in contact with the set-top box if the first mobile communication device is physically contacting the set-top box and is within a range of a class 3 Bluetooth communications link of the set-top box, and being outside the premises;

determine and distinguish a first device type of the first mobile communication device and a second device type of the second mobile communication device;

initially fulfill or deny the viewing request associated with the set-top box according to the permission policy, the determined and distinguished first relative proximity of the first mobile communication device, and the determined and distinguished first and second device types of the first and second mobile communication devices; and

when the viewing request is initially denied, ultimately fulfill or deny the viewing request according to the determined and distinguished second relative proximity of the second mobile communication device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the viewing request is ultimately fulfilled after determining that the permission policy indicates that the second mobile communication device is to override the first mobile communication device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device are different types of wireless devices.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device are associated with different users of the set-top box device.